Wedge Garden in Raleigh, North Carolina wins the 2015 Neighborhood of the Year Grand Prize
NUSA named the Wedge Garden project in Raleigh, North Carolina as the Neighborhood of the Year Grand Prize Winner. Led by Shamsa Visone and located on the Alexander Family YMCA property in Raleigh, NC, the Wedge Garden is a true community garden and learning center that connects and motivates students and families from diverse backgrounds through organic gardening, environmental stewardship, and nutrition education. Since 2012, it has promoted a more healthy and connected neighborhood because it brings neighbors and volunteers together by gardening, education, and sharing the harvest among neighbors, volunteers, and those in need.
Each year since 1984, the Board of Directors of Neighborhoods, USA (NUSA) recognizes the commitment and work of neighborhoods in awarding the “Neighborhood of the Year” in multiple categories. A Grand Prize winner is then selected from the winner from each category. The 2015 award winners are:
Physical Revitalization – Single Neighborhood
First Place
Westbury Community Garden
Westbury Civic Club
Houston, Texas
Westbury Civic Club launched a revitalization effort by facilitating green projects. This effort created the Westbury Community Garden, which grew to be the largest and most diverse garden in Houston. And when the garden was in danger of being destroyed, neighbors banded together even more to save this precious feature of their community.
Second Place
Recycled Water Irrigation
Forest Creek Homeowners Association
Round Rock, Texas
Forest Creek Homeowners launched a cooperative project between its HOA and the City of Round Rock and reduced their use of potable water for the community’s greenbelt and park by more than 90 percent, saving $25,000 and 15 million gallons of water. In so doing, it also connected the city’s reclaimed water outlet to the community’s irrigation system.
Third Place
Denver Park Outreach
Denver Park Neighborhood
Memphis, Tennessee
In Memphis, a small group of neighbors committed to making change for the better every day with the Denver Park Neighborhood Association. The group works closely with the police department’s Community Outreach Program to take back their community through a number of projects and programs like Unity in the Community Day, the Denver Park Block Party and Trick a Trunk..
Finalist
Lake Shores Park
Shores of Wellington
Garland, Texas
Lake Shore Park in Garland, TX provides homeowners in the Shores of Wellington with pedestrian lake access while maintaining the privacy of nearby homeowners and the natural habitat of the area. Features include sustainable landscaping, erosion control, and secluded seating areas for residents to pause and contemplate the view.
Social Revitalization – Single Neighborhood
First Place
Old Spanish Trail / South Union Revitalization
Southeast Houston Transformation Alliance
Houston, Texas
A neighborhood alliance of residents, agencies, educational institutions and many others came together to revitalize the Old Spanish Trail and South Union community. Their efforts started a number of outdoor and exercise initiatives, park improvements at Hartsfield Elementary School, and community safety programs that engage and unite residents, improving their quality of life.
Second Place
Sunset Avenue Architectural Tour
Sunset Avenue Neighborhood
Pasadena, California
Sunset Avenue Neighborhood’s decade-long effort to restore peace to its community that has been compromised by crime achieves a win through the neighborhood’s architectural tour. The premier tour of the area’s historical homes led by historian Timothy Gregory has beg
Third Place
Chili Cook-Off & Bocce Ball Tournament
Meredith Gardens Homeowners
Huntington Beach, California
Faced with losing their neighborhood park, baseball fields and green space, residents of the Meredith Gardens Homeowners Associations banded together to create the “Save LeBard Park – Bocce Ball Tournament and Chili Cook-Off.” The day of fun proved to be a great fundraiser, social event and catalyst for bringing people together to save their beloved park.
Finalist
Eastwood Neighborhood Preservation Project
Eastwood Neighborhood
Birmingham, Alabama
Resident members of the Eastwood Neighborhood Association strived to preserve and protect their neighborhood. As a result, they launched a variety of community park projects as well as outreach and revitalization efforts throughout the Eastwood Neighborhood. These efforts have been successful in uniting residents of the community and making the neighborhood association stronger.
Multi-Neighborhood Partnerships
First Place
Wedge Garden
Wedge Garden
Raleigh, North Carolina
By using the Asset-Based Community Development model, a group of dedicated neighbors and gardeners have grown the Wedge Garden into a learning center to connect and motivate students and families from diverse backgrounds. Using organic gardening, environmental stewardship and nutrition education, volunteers of the Wedge Garden have transformed a neighborhood and the City of Raleigh from the inside out.
Second Place
Near West Collaborative – Abandoned Mural Masterpiece
Hawthorne Center
Indianapolis, Indiana
Using gifts and raw talents from artists to enhance the appearance of boarded-up properties, the Hawthorne Center in Indianapolis launched the abandoned mural masterpiece as part of its Near West Collaborative. Through the efforts of this program city laws have been established to allow the transformation of blighted properties throughout the community.
Third Place
Lake Worth Centennial Celebration
Lake Worth Centennial Committee
Fort Worth, Texas
A year-long celebration and project created to fulfill the motto of Lake Worth, its Centennial Celebration did everything to “Honor the Past and Protect the Future.” Throughout 2014, events were designed to foster multi-neighborhood partnerships, improve community engagement and increase participation among stakeholders and neighbors.
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